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Bengals' 'D' looks to sync up with re-tooled offense

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson (90) and defensive end Wallace Gilberry (95) celebrate a tackle in the first quarter of the NFL Week 11 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016. At halftime the Bengals led 12-10.(Photo: Sam Greene, Sam Greene)

Over the last two weeks, the Cincinnati Bengals have held the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills to 21 and 16 points, respectively, and 564 combined yards. They’re not magical numbers, but for a unit that was allowing 23.6 points and 378.5 per game through the first eight weeks, it has been an improvement.

The consensus on that side of the ball is that the team is 0-2 in those games, so it hasn't been enough of an improvement. But, the uptick couldn’t come at a better time either, as the offense now has to work around losing 43 percent of its total yards with the loss of A.J. Green and Giovani Bernard as the 3-6-1 Bengals head to Baltimore to face the first-place Ravens (5-5).

“We just gotta play good complementary football, whether it’s keeping them in good field position, us keeping them pinned down,” Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said of his group. “I always tell the guys listen, if they start a drive inside the 10, it’s a three-point stop. If we get ‘em three-and-out they’re going to punt it, we usually get it around midfield and we’re going to get three points out of it.

“We just gotta continue to play – along with special teams – we gotta continue to play complementary football. For some reason or another the puzzle pieces haven’t fit together for us this year. So we’ve just gotta continue to harp on it with the players. There’s no secret answer for it, it’s just gotta happen.”

What the defense doesn’t want to do, however, is feel like it has to win the game or press too much to help out an offense that will have to find its way with new, full-time pieces at wide receiver and running back.

“When the ball’s on the field we go out and just try and get three-and-out. That’s all we’re focused and concerned about,” defensive lineman Wallace Gilberry said. “What they’ve got going on, it doesn’t – as long as they’re putting up points that’s all that matters. They put up the points, we stop the points.”

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco often presents such opportunities. He has thrown nine interceptions and fumbled four times in 10 games this year.

The Bengals have gotten the ball out against New York and Buffalo, having forced fumbles each of the last two weeks, but did not recover them. Dre Kirkpatrick has come up with interceptions the last two weeks, and Adam Jones had another would-be interception carom off his hands.

Heading into Sunday’s game, the Bengals are tied for fifth in the league with 10 interceptions have forced five fumbles, recovering three.

“We always feel like we can better,” Bengals safety Shawn Williams said. “We have to create more turnovers and create better field position when we have the chance to. That will help them out. Those are the ways we can help them out without pressing too hard.”

If there was a game where the complementary aspects of football that have eluded the Bengals for 10 games could coalesce, it’s Sunday - with slim playoff chances hanging in the balance.

“Our side of the ball, it’s our game really,” Bengals safety George Iloka said. “The mentality is really supposed to be ‘the scoreboard is irrelevant.’ We can only control our side of the game. I don’t think it adds any pressure.

“I think if there is any pressure it would be just being that we want to win because we’re getting close to that point where if we take and more losses you might eliminate yourself.”